The Commission establishes sentencing policies and practices for the federal courts. Each year, the Commission reviews and refines these policies in light of congressional action, decisions from courts of appeals, sentencing-related research, and input from the criminal justice community.

In this section, you can follow the Commission’s work through the amendment cycle as priorities are set, research is performed, testimony is heard, and amendments are adopted.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission is an independent agency in the judicial branch that was created as part of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. Commissioners are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The Attorney General, or the Attorney General’s designee, and the Chair of the U.S. Parole Commission serve as ex officio, nonvoting members of the Commission.

In this section, learn about the Commission’s mission, structure, and ongoing work.

The Commission serves as an information resource for Congress, the executive branch, the courts, criminal justice practitioners, the academic community, and the public. The Commission provides seminars, workshops, training programs, and other online resources on guideline application and other federal sentencing issues. You will find many of these resources available below.

The USSC held its 2018 National Seminar in San Antonio, TX from May 30 to June 1, 2018.
A "Judges Only" training seminar was held in San Francisco, CA from June 21 to June 22, 2018.

The following resources are available to assist judges, probation officers, law clerks, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and others in understanding and applying the guidelines. The Commission offers a variety of materials, including e-Learning courses, primers, data briefing videos, and worksheets.